DeKalb Mayor John Rey, DeKalb City Manager Anne Marie Gaura, NIU President Dr. Douglas Baker Presented at the 2016 annual conference of the International Town & Gown Association, held at the Loyola Lake Shore Campus.
Their presentation on the emerging town and gown relationship between DeKalb and NIU was well-received, especially by one member of the audience who is not only a university professor in Michigan, but also the mayor of her city. She was amazed and impressed to hear a mayor – without prompting – speak about issues of student recruitment and retention, faculty research and university engagement. Or a city manager explain how she talks with her staff on the need to integrate town and gown. Or a university president reference issues of poverty, Section 8 housing and local quality of life.